Welcome to GOA
by Three Evil Weapons
Summary: Rusai and Arie, two new candidates on their way to GOA, begin to find they have more in common than what they think at first glance. As secrets are revealed a new mystery engulfs the candidates... Warning: OC and OOC
1. A Chance Meeting

**Curriculum 00: A Chance Meeting**

A young man was wandering around the halls, apathetically glancing at anything that moved. He had not said a word since he arrived, all he had been doing was giving peoples stares whenever they decided to look at him. Finding nothing at all that perked his interest, he moved on. He managed to wander into an empty hall and decided that he happened to like the seclusion and eased his back against one of the walls. Seemingly lost in thought, he gave a quiet sigh and then dozed off, not bothering to interact with any of the other candidates, or anyone else for that matter, that was on the transport.

The area was active, the air filled with various conversations concerning pilots, pilot candidates and of course, boys. A lone girl lay in the corner, leaning on the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed trying to think. She sighed and turned her head in frustration. Slowly, she stood back up normally and made her way to the door, sick of the ongoing conversive nonsense that she so thusly wished to avoid. As the door opened, she swiftly and casually made her way out of the room, the door closing behind. She turned her head back to look at the door as a thought ran through her head 'I have to be classmates with them all...'

Shrugging, she placed her hands in her pockets and made her way to the observation deck. Thoughts kept running through her head; 'Who will be the top? Will I pass? Who will my partner be?...' The speculations were getting to her, just as she feared. With her exceptional abilities, it wasn't surprising, worrying as she did. Looking up, she saw she had found her way to the one area in which no one else would venture to; or that anyone else knew about. She had learned the map of the ship inside and out by heart, including all of it's secrets. As the door opened she tilted her head in interest as before her stood another. A slight smirk formed on her face in amusement as she walked near to the area in which he was standing and leaned onto the railing, head gazing up into the stars. Without knowing it herself, she too was lost in it's vastness, forgetting all thoughts that she had previously had.

The young man who had been dozing off for quite the while, came back to reality once he noticed that the place he had chose wasn't so secluded anymore. He then turned to stare at the person, wondering if he should even try to strike up any sort of conversation with this new person, or if he should just walk away, like he had been doing for so long. But there was something about this person that intrigued him. 'Crap...should I even bother trying to talk? Ugh...maybe I should just go...what if...argh! Stupid thoughts...' he thought, trying to sort and piece together what he happened to be feeling in the first place. He didn't notice that while he was lost in his thoughts, he had begun to fiddle with one of the various chains that adorned his wrists; it was a little thing he did every time he became nervous or flustered, and it was habit that he wanted to be rid of. Noticing that he was stuck in this awkward moment, he finally decided to talk, thinking that it would be really strange if he had been staring at her for so long, just to strut out of the room.

"Uh...hi?" he muttered unsurely, hoping that the situation that he was stuck in wasn't going to get any worse. While she was staring out into space, she could faintly hear the noise of rattling chains. Unbeknownst to the girl, the person in front of her was becoming quite flustered by her presence there. As the noise began to accelerate she turned her gaze slightly, as to see what they were doing.

"Uh...hi?" came a mutter from beside her. She turned her head to look at him and smiled with delight to see that she had found someone who she could talk to without the first words out of their mouths being 'You're hot'. She got off of the railing and stood in front of him, trying to make eye contact.

"Hello." she answered quite vigorously to the youth. Though, she did not like to talk much, when it was a conversation towards someone similar to her own persona she was delighted to answer. An odd trait she had picked up, always trying to find a semi-intelligent conversation besides that of the other sex.

"You must be a pilot candidate here, huh?" she began, knowing he was surely too flustered to start the conversation up on a positive and intelligible level. "It must be hard, trying to fit in when you're so different..." her tone darkened somewhat, since she knew where he was coming from. She herself had nearly been able to qualify for a pilot, though she was not male and therefore was not allowed. EX, of course was another problem that she could not answer, since she had never heard of it till her entrance exam. She waited for an answer, as she dropped her head ever so slightly.

"Yeah...Hey, uh...I didn't get your name yet. My name's Rusai, Rusai Kazayumi." said Rusai, who was trying very hard not to stutter. Even though he was quite interested in the girl, he still had a hard time talking to people. Pausing for a minute to see if he had made any errors in his speech, he then looked intently at the girl, deciding that he liked this person much more than any of the people he had seen on the transport thus far. He had stopped fiddling with the chains on his wrist, but had moved onto fiddling with the ones on his neck.

She smiled once more, this time towards him. She never knew she would run into someone on the transporter so... so very different. She could not figure why, but for the strangest reason she was drawn to him.

"Rusai Kazayumi, huh?" she asked as she gave a small laugh. "Pleasure to meet you Rusai. My name is Arie, Arie Suin Kalctev." she finished, bowing her head. She had noticed the fact that he had stopped pulling at his wrist chains and thusly moved onto the ones at his neck. She smiled again, trying to hold back any sign of laughter, for she had never seen someone so nervous around her before. It wasn't pity, though, it was a good feeling, one she needed to feel.

Never before had she met someone who was just as nervous as she was going somewhere. For Arie was regularly a lonely person who expressed happiness and regret to no one but herself. Emotions that she was not too proud to hide amongst others who would have never felt them the way she had.

"Rusai?" she began looking at him squarely in the eyes. "Why do you want to become a pilot?"

"Well, you see-.." Rusai started. "...at first, I wanted to be a pilot because I wanted to make my mother proud of me. I'm her only son and she's never really thought highly of me... in fact, I really didn't think she liked me at all..." Rusai trailed off for a moment; a look of hurt flashed through his cobalt and emerald eyes. Rusai then realized what he was doing and got back on track, replacing that look of hurt in his eyes with a look of curiosity to see if she was still listening to his rambling. "Then, after awhile, I got obsessed with the skies and wondered what it would have been like to be up there. Then I decided that I wanted to experience space and what it was like, not to mention that I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't just crap. I guess it's basically all those factors combined that made me want to become a pilot!" Rusai finished, looking quite satisfied with himself that he had somehow managed to hold a normal conversation, for the last time he had a conversation with someone, his rage had gotten the better of him...

Arie looked at him, she stared into his being and felt every word from his story. It sounded so familiar, so pure. She never really took the time to glance deep into his eyes before, their colors were glistening all through his explanation.

"That's great." she began, leaning on the railing beside them and turning to look at the stars. "I never knew my family. You could say they never knew me as well. All I really know is the fact that I had one at some point in time." her voice rang with a purity of a song, true and heart-breaking.

"I did have a dream, though." she began to elaborate. "I dreamed of flying through the stars." She turned to face him again and then brought his attention to the space. "It's natural to feel that way, to wish you had wings. But my reason didn't quite feel like a natural urge, but more like a destiny. Though, as you can tell, my destiny doesn't seem to want me to fly." her happiness nearly vanished as she tried to finish, her words like daggers to her heartfelt soul. "That's why... That's why I am now a candidate."

Rusai's expression had gradually changed over time while listening to Arie's story. He felt a pang of sorrow, listening to Arie's gentle voice, it was like listening to an innocent lost child. At one point he started to tear up. Being embarrassed he quickly began to rub at his eyes with the back of his hand. He had never really like the way his eyes looked, it was strange to him to have eyes of different colors. When he looked straight at Arie, he found her staring right back, it was almost like a mutual feeling of understanding between the two.

"I see..." Rusai said, his voice filled with the tone that showed that he cared for Arie, although they had only met only a few moments earlier. Rusai felt, somehow, connected to Arie as they both stood there looking at each other in silence.


	2. Troubled Life

**Curriculum 01: Troubled Life**

It seemed like time was stopping around them, for neither of them found a need to do anything more than gaze at each other. Finally, Arie broke the stance as she turned her head away in embarrassment.

"Well, um... I..." she began to stutter, losing all of her earlier class. As she moved her hand to her left ear she froze in place, gasping. "No, where-... How?..." she muttered as she scrambled in place. Panicking she quickly ran out of the observation area and into the hallway on the opposite end.

Rusai stood there, with an expression on his face that wrote 'I'm a gawking idiot!'

"Huh?" he muttered to himself, trying to think if he had done anything at all to offend Arie. "What did I do!" Rusai grumbled to himself. Without thinking, he ran out of the observation area, trying to see what had happened to the girl he was having the conversation of his life with.

"How could I have not noticed it!" she said as she dropped to the floor in the hallway, not noticing the door open behind her. "It's the only thing... besides..." she placed her hand over the heart-shaped pendant around her neck. Clutching it in her hand, tears began to stream from her now sapphire eyes. Nothing else seemed to matter at the moment. She hated it. When things like this occurred in her life. For the pure fact that it was selfish. When it happened nothing else mattered, and close to nothing could bring her back. She was frozen in place.

The scene that graced Rusai's eyes was quite perplexing to him indeed. He was still baffled as to why Arie had run away from him earlier, but seeing her in this state made Rusai want to comfort her, somehow. Rusai was about to bend down to comfort Arie, when he noticed something glimmer a little ways away. He really didn't want to leave Arie like this, but his curiosity got the better of him and he dashed over to see what the object was. He found a flower shaped pin on the ground. 'Maybe, she'd like it. I could give it to her as a present to make her feel better, although I'm still not quite sure what's wrong...' Rusai thought and went back to Arie's side.

"Um...Arie, I have something for you." Rusai stated and held out the pin he had just found, offering it to Arie. From within her seclusion, Arie could hear a voice. A gentle one that was familiar to her. She made out the words slowly and turned to face the voice.

"Ru-... Rusai..." she said softly, yet the words were painful to hear due to the expressions on her face. Her eyes remained the deep sapphire. "Wh.. what..?" Her eyes moved to the glistening emerald pendant in his hands. Her eyes widened in relief, though her tears did not subside. Her hand moved slightly towards it, shaking the whole way. Quickly she swiped it from his grasp and huddled into an enclosed position.

"Ru-... Rusai... Please... Please don't look at me!" she said quite upset as she hid her face in her lap. "I didn't want anyone to... anyone to see me like-..." her tears ensued as it became to much for her to make out speech towards him. She wanted to talk, how she wanted to explain so desperately, but... Her secret had been revealed.

"Arie..." Rusai murmured. "It'll be okay, please don't cry anymore." He slowly knelt down next to her. Rusai was nearly overwhelmed by the situation, he had never been in these kinds of situations before and wasn't quite used to the concept of 'emotion' yet. All his life was spent trying to eradicate his emotions, while here he was kneeling on the ground trying to figure out how to comfort someone who was having an emotional breakdown. "Just tell me what's wrong Arie, I'm willing to listen..." said Rusai.  
Arie heard his voice clearly this time. It hurt her to think that she had brought herself to look this way in front of him. She lifted her head as her breathing began to calm, but the tears continued to flow.

"I-... I'm sorry..." she said to him, though refusing to face him in the eyes. She knew the only reason for it was because she was hiding 'it' from him. The truth was, though, that she did not know if he had noticed. "I shouldn't have yelled... It's just that... no one can know..." with that her hair flowed down covering her face, her tears, and her secret...

"Well, is there anything I can do for you?" Rusai asked, feeling so helpless in this situation just made him feel, well, worse than ever, not to mention the fact that he began to get agitated about not being able to help. While trying to keep his temper in check, he felt as though she was hiding something important from him and he tried to shake the feeling off, but it just lingered there. Sure, at times, he was a dolt, but he just couldn't stand it when someone he remotely cared about was under such a huge amount of distress.

She could hear the helplessness in his voice, she could also sense a bit of his frustration. Taking a breath, she brought her head up once more, though he hair still covered her face.

"Rusai..." she began again. "There is something I have never told before... To anyone, not even the academy knows..." her voice was shaky and her tone was distant. "It is considered to be an unknown 'condition' that hasn't been found in... well, anyone." Opening her hand, she revealed the pendant and moved the hair that had been covering her face back as she placed it where it belonged.

"Anyone, that is... but..." she stopped her speech and finally turned to face him. As she did her eyes glowed pitch black as her hair slowly turned a light blue.

Rusai stared in disbelief at the strange scenario that was going on.

"Woah..." Rusai sputtered in pure amazement. "Oh my god..." Rusai murmured. He was totally lost in amazement by Arie's special 'ability'. So lost in fact, that he was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. "Ugh..." Rusai moaned before blacking out and hitting the ground with a thud.


	3. The Quiet Place

**Curriculum 02: The Quiet Place**

"Ah-.. Rusai!" she shouted as she left her huddled position to be by his side. It had seemed the tables soon turned, as he passed out so abruptly in front of her. Though, she figured it could be used to fake out the entire situation she knew that when he awoke, she would have no choice but to explain. Looking around, she began to recognize the area and remembered reading about a hidden door.

Standing up she scanned the walls for the hidden clue. After locating the room she walked back over to Rusai and gently brought him into the secret room. As she laid him down to continue his rest she moved over to the corner and leaned herself against the wall.

"I'm sorry, for causing you so much... trouble..." she whispered, not knowing if he could hear her apology or not, as she dozed off to sleep.

Rusai slowly regained consciousness, although he was still groggy and his head was pounding. Looking around, he saw that he was no longer in the hall, but in a room in which he had never seen before. He quickly glanced around and was relieved to find Arie sleeping against a wall. 'What happened to me?' Rusai thought. He then tried to get up and had nearly succeeded too, but in the end he ended up crashing to the floor in a crumpled heap. 'Smooth Rusai, real smooth...' he thought, scolding himself for being such a klutz, not to mention that he found himself unable to get up. He let out a little growl of anger and proceeded to trying to pluck himself from the floor.

Arie lay there, sleeping peacefully in the corner. Slowly she turned onto her other side and as her breathing becoming a little louder than faded out. Her eyes had returned to their former color. Along with her hair retaining it's normal hues.

The room was quiet aside from Rusai's desperate attempts to get up. The reason she had been able to locate the room so hastily was in fact the reason that an officer was about to enter the hall. She was thankful that only the captain and a few others actually knew about the room, but none really knew where it was located. In fact it was pure and simple luck since the transporter was full of identical hallways. Luck had seemed to be on her side that day, though. And so she slept there peacefully and without worry.

'Ow...I need something to grab onto!' Rusai thought, becoming quite desperate. Finding nothing of use to grab onto, Rusai reluctantly crawled back to where he originally was. Rusai glanced at Arie, finding her still peacefully asleep. Rusai couldn't help but feel sleep threatening to overtake him, so he slightly curled up and fell asleep.

Arie's eyes sprung open, as she seemingly jumped in place. She gasped taking a deep breath and looked around, panicking. 'Was it all... just a dream..?' she thought to herself. As her eyes scanned the room, she gave a sigh of relief as she saw Rusai laying down on the floor next to her. Though, she was still a bit troubled.

She leaned back against the wall, holding her heart as to try to halt it from racing. Looking down at Rusai she began to trail into thought again as she gazed at him. She could just run now, and pretend that what he had seen was just a dream. For all she knew they would never see each other again when they finally reached their destination. Yet somehow, she stayed and waited. After all, she was never one to dwell on the past, nor the future.

Crossing her arms over her legs she laid her head atop them and sighed again. 'How is it that he's so much different from all of them..?' she thought. Instead of going back to rest she continued her contemplating as it had been some time since she could think to herself.

As if out of nowhere a shockwave rippled through the ship. Sending her sliding into Rusai as they traveled to the opposite end of them room. The wave had made her hit the wall quite hard and she lost consciousness.


	4. Giseisha

**Curriculum 03: Giseisha**

Rusai awoke to feel something collide against him. "Gah! What hell's goin' on!" he yelped, mainly due to surprise. That's when he happened to see Arie, unconscious. "Arie!" he yelled, showing a little bit more emotion than he would have liked. Another shockwave hit the ship, sending Rusai and Arie tumbling. Rusai managed to grab on to Arie's body, in an attempt to shield her from any more harm, before they hit yet another object. "Arie! Please tell me you're alright! Say something!" Rusai pleaded, wondering how something this out of the ordinary could've happened.

"Urgh... Wha-... uh.." she murmured from within her limp state as her eyes opened slightly. The first thing she made out to hear was a desperate cry from Rusai as he struggled to keep her from harms way. "Ru-... sai..." she whispered as she looked out towards him, her eyes clouded from the confusion.

The shock waves were beginning to come in larger numbers as the two were helplessly thrown around the room. Arie grabbed tight to Rusai, trying to get separated from him. As the fell back into a wall, Arie leg go of Rusai briefly and elbowed the wall behind her, opening the room back into the hallway. She grabbed back onto him as they were sent back into the hallway. Her speech was impaired due to the fact that she had just regained consciousness, and the doors had all been locked due to the emergency crisis.

"Ru...sai... it's up to you... to.. ugh.." she gasped as they were flung to another wall. Struggling, she again attempted to reach him. "You must... find a way to.. help..." and with that she gazed deep into his eyes once more, just as before. Hoping that he somehow knew what she was telling him.

Rusai could barely make out the words she was saying due to the utter chaos that was thrown at him in the situation. 'What can I do?' Rusai thought, trying to keep it together. He knew he couldn't get out of the room due to the doors being locked down. He then spotted a vent in the side of the wall, but he knew that Arie probably couldn't make the climb in her apparent state. He wanted to be by Arie's side, but he knew he had to do something about the situation before things really got out of hand. Right now, he was just so confused about the current event. 'I don't even know what's going on! How am I going to help?' Rusai thought. First off, he wanted to make sure that Arie was safe, but then again, there was nowhere safe on the ship to speak of at the moment. He decided to lay Arie down somewhere, but where? Rusai then spotted what he thought was the safest place that the hallway had to offer, so gently set Arie down, but for a moment he was reluctant to leave her.

"Arie...Please stay safe..." he whispered before dashing off and climbing into the vent. It was crowded in the vent, but it was the only way out of the room. Rusai crawled on, finding getting more and more difficult to breathe. 'I have to make it...' Rusai thought. After what seemed like an eternity of crawling through the maze of vents Rusai saw an opening. Overjoyed and relieved, Rusai pushed himself out of the vent to find himself in the main hall. That was when another shockwave hit the ship, Rusai clung onto the railing to try to keep from getting flung this way and that. He also saw several other unfortunate candidates go tumbling by. 'This is getting bad...' Rusai thought, as more shockwaves barraged the ship.

As Arie lay there on the floor she waited planned her escape from the room. Though it was in vein as she could now barely move, let alone get out of the room.

"Rusai, don't give up..." she said softly as the alarms began to blare while the tremors grew in size. Luckily the spot she was placed in was safer, but she could still feel the aftershock of the waves. 'If only I hadn't used it before...' she thought. 'Then maybe I could get out of here, somehow...'

Her thoughts were completely clouded and her vision was blurred, but just as she thought all of her hope was lost, the door to the observatory opened. Struggling to her feet, Arie dashed towards the doors and into the observation area. 'I barely... made it here, but... Rusai?' she thought hopelessly as the doors closed abruptly after her. Turning her gaze to the window her eyes widened in fear as what she saw shook her being.

Rusai was trying to move about in the ship, clinging onto anything he could. 'What is causing these tremors?' Rusai wondered as the shockwaves nearly sent him flying. Trying to make it out of the main hall in one piece, Rusai had to pry the doors open and found himself in another hallway. 'Why didn't I look at the map?' Rusai thought. Rusai dashed by a window and found the answer to his earlier question; a horde of Giseisha had surrounded the ship.

"Oh shit!" Rusai gasped. "There's so many of them!" Rusai was now more determined than ever to do something, because if no one did, they'd be doomed before they even reached G.O.A.


	5. Calling

**Curriculum 04: Calling**

"It's happening..." said Arie quivering in place as she grabbed onto the rails, trying to support herself. "I have to help them, somehow..." she whispered. Her eyes shifted to blood red as she stood up and clenched her fist. Running to the door she slammed herself into the locking system, destroying the controls. As she moved on to attempt to pry the door open, she failed as her strength was becoming exhausted once more.

'No!' she thought to herself. 'I can't give up yet! I have to find him now!' and with that she used the remainder of her strength in a desperate attempt to call out to him. As she placed her hands over the heart-shaped pendant it glowed a radiant sapphire as it shift colors along with her hair. The air around her began to pick up speed. Opening her eyes, she sent her message into the consciousness of the one person closest to her.

"Don't hesitate, I'm here by your side... Find me..."

With that all energies around her subsided as she flowed to the floor, the battle raging around her.

Rusai was dashing from hall to hall, stopping at each door to pry it open. He was working on a door when he heard a voice

'_Don't hesitate, I'm here by your side...Find me...' _

Rusai froze in place. 'That voice...Arie!' Rusai thought. He was filled with even more determination than ever. He somehow felt as if he was being led somewhere. He dashed down the empty halls. He practically burst though the last door at the end of the hallway. There he found Arie, once again on the ground.

"Arie! I'm here! Don't worry!" Rusai yelled, trying to get his voice to go over the alarm. He quickly ran over to Arie to make sure she was okay. From within the darkness Arie heard his voice.

"Rusai..." she said softly as she saw his face again. "You're here..." she grabbed onto his hand and pulled it slowly towards her. The alarms were still blaring around them as the entire ship was sent into chaos. Finally the captain came over the intercom.

"Attention, attention all crew members, prepare to abandon ship! I repeat prepare to abandon ship! The Giseisha have us surrounded. Gather all personnel and retreat to the pods!" and with that, the struggle in the transporter began as the rush to the escape pods began.

"Where are the Goddess'!" people shouted at the crew who were ushering everyone from the main areas to the escape pods. They were never given an answer.

'There's no way... that they'll all make it safely to the nearest colony...' thought Arie as she watched the crowds disperse into the pods.

"We have to protect the ship... Help me... help me Rusai..." she said gripping onto his hand a little more firm. Though she did not want to suffer on the ship, she could not let her fellow candidates come in danger of single Giseisha strikes. Arie looked up at Rusai as she waited for his answer, this time even she was unsure of what was to become of them.

Rusai was being torn between helping the one dearest to him, or to just flee for his life like some coward. Struggling with himself and past memories Rusai was trying to push everything aside, but the thoughts were beginning to overwhelm him...

_**flashback**_

It was about eight years ago in an old run down apartment. Yelling could be heard from one of the rooms on the upper levels. A younger looking Rusai scrambled into his room and started stacking things up against the door to prevent his mother from getting in.

"Rusai! You open this door right now or else your 'punishment' will get even worse!" growled his mother through grit teeth. Rusai said nothing, but was cowering behind his bed, afraid that his little barricade wasn't gonna hold against his mother's wrath. With a loud boom, Rusai's enraged mother grabbed Rusai by his hair and proceeded to drag him out of the room.

"No...please mom...don't hurt me..." Rusai whimpered, trying to pry away from his mother's iron grip.

"You deserve this 'punishment', you've been 'bad'!" She screeched. Quickly glancing around, Rusai's heart sank when he saw what his mother was holding; it was a butcher knife, and it looked even more menacing when held by his mother. Sobs and cries could be heard as his mother delivered the sick and twisted treatment. Rusai had earned himself several gashes on his back, several more adorned his arms and legs and one gash right across the left side of his neck. "Go ahead, run you little coward...you little piece of filth!" she hollered. Rusai, although bleeding, took the chance and ran as far away as he could, his head hanging in shame the whole way with tears streaming down his eyes. No one heard his lonely cries throughout the night...

_**end flashback**_

Rusai just stood there, his eyes were starting to water again. 'I can't do it...I just can't...' he thought sadly while rubbing at the scarred area on his neck. Rusai felt Arie's grip tighten and he peered into her eyes. It seemed to erase all the doubt there was in his heart and he finally made his choice about the situation.

"A-Alright Arie, I'll help. J-Just tell me what to do..." Rusai stated, although his voice was quavering, he was sure that he wanted to help as best he could.

She smiled, a thing she had not done ever since the troubles had started. "Be strong, Rusai..." she said to him. She hold of his other hand and brought them together as she unchained her pendant and placed it in his now cupped together hands. Slowly she placed her hands over his and gave one last heartfelt look deep into his eyes as she whispered "You're not alone..."

Just as their hands made contact the sapphire pendant began to glow, brighter and brighter. The sapphire light began to stream from within the heart as it surrounded the two. Arie opened her eyes and looked at Rusai, as their colors began to shift once more. A powerful surge of energy was emitting from the pendant, it was now up to the two to come synchronized with this energy. It was time for them to experience the power of a new EX...


	6. Angel

**Curriculum 05: Angel**

Rusai felt a new energy surge through him. He was still a bit unsure about the situation, but he trusted Arie and he didn't want to let her down. 'What is this feeling? Can it be? A new EX!' Rusai thought as he looked deep into Arie's eyes and saw their shifting colors; he never broke contact with Arie's eyes. Right then and there, Rusai knew that Arie was special, who knows, maybe she was the angel he was looking for all along...

"Yes..." she said to him. " 'Angel' is my ability..." and with that wings formed on the girl's backside, as they overshadowed all instances occurring around them. "My 'condition' is one that no other can understand. Not even I know it's true powers. But if you help me, I know we can protect this ship... together..." she said, moving closer to Rusai.

The Giseisha were becoming more and more numerous around the ship, as the crew was ordered to refrain from using the pods. The alarms were still blaring and the crowds of people were becoming restless and panicked. Time was running out for the transporter, everyone could sense it. Just then the intercom came on once more.

"Attention all personnel, due to the appearance of more Giseisha in the vicinity it has been deemed pure suicide to launch the pods in our current position. We have sent in a distress call to G.O.A. and they have assured us that they are in the process of getting the Five Goddess' to support us. Though, it is unconfirmed where the distances between us and the station lie. Please stay calm, help is coming..." and with that the captain ended his transmission.

"Rusai... please. Will you lend me your strength..?" her voice was troubled, but it's purity had been restored. 'This curse of mine... how much longer can I hold out..?' she thought as she awaited his final answer, the answer that would seal the fates of her and all of those around them.

This time, without hesitation, Rusai answered, but his time, his voice was strong, but yet, gentle at the same time.

"Yes Arie, I will." He gently replied. He firmly grasped Arie's hands. "I will stay here by your side, forever and always..." Rusai whispered, wanting to let Arie know that he wouldn't let her don't, wouldn't fail her expectations. While around them, the ship was being thrown into chaos as the Giseisha closed in. They were in their last moments, it was either save the ship now, or go down in a burning blaze of glory.


	7. Race Against Time

**Curriculum 06: Race Against Time**

"Then... it is time..." she said as she stood up, holding her hand out to him, while clutched in her other was the pendant still glowing bright. "For this to work, you must clear all doubt from you mind and believe in your strength." her voice had changed it's tone, it was now stern and ideal in the way she presented the statement. Her wings opened a bit, though they were generated purely from an unknown EX reaction, they appeared real.

The ship was on it's last defenses, it could not hold out. The Giseisha were numerous and the Goddess' had not even arrived yet. What could these two individuals do without the use of a Goddess? Only time could answer the question.

'This is going to work, I just know it is!' Rusai thought as he extended his hand and grasped Arie's. It was like a beautiful spectacle of radiance, like a beacon of hope. Rusai closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought once again. The expression on his face was one of severe concern for everyone on the ship and for the great obstacles that lay ahead of them.

"Then I will lend you my wings." she whispered as she let go of his hand and held out the shining pendant. "Once you accept this power, we will be able to stop them together. But only if you truly can control it." No longer was she afraid that her secret might be revealed to the crew or other candidates, for it was the only thing that could save them right now. Her ability was still unknown, even to her, but she had to risk it in order to save so many. Everyone was depending on them. 'Will you accept the mark of the fallen angel, Rusai..?' she thought as the pendant glowed.

Time was ticking away as Rusai stared at the pendant being offered to him. He had no choice, this couldn't end like this. 'No innocent lives should be lost to the Giseisha...I made a promise, that I was gonna stay by her side forever and always, and I intend to keep that promise!' Rusai thought as he gently laid his hand on the pendant, not afraid of what was to come in their uncertain future. This was their last stand, their last chance, their only hope for survival...

Arie closed her eyes as she placed her hand over his and pressed it down on the pendant. The light from the pendant shone bright and brighter as it began to fuse with Rusai, Arie imagined the pain he was feeling at the moment to be intense but she could no longer afford to hesitate in her actions. The light kept growing and growing until finally, it dispersed all together as the pendant's energy was now transferred to him.

"It's done..." she said softly as she moved her hands from his and waited for him to deal with the power she had endowed. A wave of pain wracked Rusai's body the instant the pendant began to shine.

"Argh..." Rusai muttered, the pain was so intense, but he was determined to make it through this. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain subsided into a small throb coming from his hand. Rusai, who had kept his eyes squeezed shut for most of the time, opened them to see that the pendant had become fused to his hand. "What happened to me?" Rusai asked in pure wonderment, staring at his hand, totally forgetting about the pain.

"My pendant represents what sustains the energies of ability. It fuses with the user and enables them to use my abilities along with powering those that the user has. Really, it boosts the abilities and limits of one's EX." she answered him, happy to see that the pain had ended. "I'm afraid from here on out I have no thoughts as to how to save the ship..." she said as she turned to face the Giseisha. "Rusai, I know that you have an EX within you, it's our only hope right now. You have to awaken it somehow." came her troubled voice as she looked at him once more. Rusai nodded in an understanding way, although he wasn't quite sure how to awaken his EX, or what his EX actually did. He gazed deep into Arie's eyes once more and smiled.

"I'll come back to you." Rusai whispered. "Whatever happens, I'll come back to you..." Rusai then held Arie in a quick embrace, then turned to leave, spreading his newly formed wings and dashing out of the hallway they were standing in.

Arie stood there now, as her wings began to fade away and then abruptly return. Her legs soon gave way as she fell to the floor. Her breathing grew heavier with each moment.

"I'm sorry, Rusai..." she whispered to herself. "I never told you why they called it my... 'condition'..." Taking a deep breath, she grabbed onto the railing as another shockwave came through the area. Her vision was blurring again but she knew she had to get back up. From above her, she could her a cracking noise. Gasping she immediately turned to face the window. The force from the last shockwave had penetrated the glass and Arie didn't have enough strength to get out of the room.

'There's only one hope left for me and these people now...' she thought to herself as her eyes began to cloud. 'If only the Goddess' could get here in time...' With that, her wings vanished as she laid back onto the rails and rest.

Rusai was dashing through the deserted corridors and was in the middle of prying open a door when he heard footsteps echoing in the empty hall. Rusai realized that if anyone saw him like this, well, he'd have a lot of explain he'd have to do that he'd probably didn't want to do. 'Damn!' he thought, 'Of all the things that could have happened...' He had to do something before he was found out. Glancing around, he saw a door on his right and quickly proceeded to trying to pry it open. As the footsteps got louder, Rusai pried harder until the door finally opened causing him to tumble into the room right before the person walked by. Rusai let out a breath of relief and continued on his way, this time being more cautious about others. He finally reached the hallway that led off of the ship.

'Alright, here I go...' Rusai thought as he walked into the ship's docking bay. He locked the door and was glad that no one was in here but him. He stared reluctantly at the lever that opened the gates, and slowly, with his hands trembling all the way, grabbed the lever and pulled down on it. The force of being sucked out into space was a little more forceful than Rusai had thought it would be. At first Rusai was freaking out, thinking that he wouldn't able to breathe in the airless space, but after a couple moments of floundering around, he realized that he was just fine. 'That's one amazing EX...' Rusai thought. That was until one Giseisha took notice of him and dashed for him. Rusai let out a yelp of panic and flew out of the way just in time to see the angry Giseisha heading right back for him. 'What am I gonna do about this!' Rusai thought, while trying to keep away from the Giseisha.


	8. Help From Above

**Curriculum 07: Help From Above**

The observatory couldn't hold out any longer, as one last shockwave sent the glass flying. 'No, not now!' Arie thought, grabbing onto the railing as the gravity began to suck her into the outside void. Her hands began to slip as more and more of the glass was sucked away.

"Ah-!"

"Hold on!" came a voice to her side.

"Huh-..!"

She turned to face the unknown voice to find a pilot candidate rushing to her aid while holding tight to the rails. He reached out his hand towards her, his green hair blocking his face from her.

"Take my hand, hurry!" he shouted to her, as he reached further. Arie looked at him for a few moments, unsure of what she would do, but then without question she nodded and grabbed hold of him. As he was pulling her back towards him Arie lost her footing and her grip to the boy. She was soon swiftly swept into the pull of the outside space, struggling to reach out for the help of this unknown candidate.

Rusai was still trying to figure out a way to evade all of the Giseisha's attacks when he heard a tremendous crack. He turned around to find that one of the transport's windows were broken and Arie was getting swept into space. Although, that one moment of lapse in his attention cost him because the Giseisha tackled him, sending him flying into the side of the ship.

"Ugh...I feel like some kind of insect on a windshield..." Rusai muttered, having all the wind knocked out of him from the force of the blow. He then spotted the stranger who was trying to help pull Arie in. Knowing that he couldn't get close to Arie without putting the ship in danger, Rusai had no choice but to leave Arie in the hands of this new candidate. "Hey! Make sure Arie doesn't get hurt!" Rusai yelled and with that, flew right before the Giseisha smacked head first into the ship.

"Dammit!" yelled the candidate as he struggled to reach for Arie, but failed. He turned to face the railing then gave a heavy sigh as he let go and jumped after her. "I'm coming!" he shouted as he finally got a hold of her and pulled her into his reach. He had secured an emergency rope from the hallway he come from around his waist and used it to pull them to safety as he brought Arie to his side. "Just hang tight, kay?" he said to her. It was the first time she could actually make out his voice, it had an interesting tone to it.

"Okay..." she whispered back to him, not expecting him to have heard her answer. Slowly but sure enough they had finally made it back to the hallway, as the pole the candidate had used to keep the doors pried was sucked into the space. The doors slammed shut and returned to their earlier lock down state.

The boy, who was still holding onto Arie's side, gave another sigh of relief as he took a deep breath and turned his head in her direction. She saw his penetrating emerald eyes and the clear smile of victory plastered over his face. They looked at each other for a few moments until the boy realized that he was still holding onto Arie.

"Ah, uh..!" he stammered as he clumsily fell back into the wall from his embarrassment. Arie held in a slight giggle as she smiled at him. She couldn't help but wonder where Rusai had managed to get himself now as she stared at the wall with concern.

Rusai was still engaged with the persistent Giseisha that was stubbornly pursuing him. He was quite relieved to find that Arie was back inside the transport and turned abruptly to face the Giseisha.

"It's your time to go..." Rusai growled. He hadn't realized it, but a red aura began to surround him. He felt more pain as his hands began to shift into claws. The feathers slowly fell to reveal pitch black devil wings and both of Rusai's eyes shifted to a demonic yellow. He finally regained his composure after the pain subsided and glared at the Giseisha. "Why don't you just die!" he shouted and with one swipe of his newly formed claw, slashed the Giseisha and half. All at once the Giseisha began to attack from all sides, Rusai just kept savagely tearing them apart one after the other. "Just disappear!" he hollered as he finished off the last of them.

He slowly glided back to the docking bay and closed the gates. His eyes had returned to their normal colors, but the claws and the wings still remained. He didn't want to face Arie at the moment, knowing that he wasn't there to save her when she needed it the most. He was staring at his blood soaked claws in shame.

"What would Arie think of me if she saw me like this? I hate my EX..." Rusai murmured. "I let it get out of control again..." Upon hearing footsteps coming from the hall once again, Rusai dashed into the nearest room, wanting to keep hidden and be alone all at the same time. There he waited, hoping that no one would intrude before his EX had a chance to wear off.


	9. Green With Envy

**Curriculum 08: Green With Envy**

"Thank you." she said to him softly as she held out her hand to help him to his feet. She smiled at him. "My name's Arie, Arie Suin Kalctev. I'm grateful that you helped me back there."

"Pssh, it was nothin'. Don't worry so much. Arie, was it?" he began as he took hold of her hand and got back to his feet. As he let go of her hand he took a few steps back and gave himself a thumbs up in confidence. "The name's Gareas, Gareas Elidd! Nice to meet ya'!" he said cheerfully, winking to her.

She laughed and was happy to have met someone so confident and outgoing for a change. Though she stopped her laughter as a strange feeling overcame her. Then she stood quietly gripping onto her right arm and looking down to the floor. 'Huh..?' Gareas thought to himself.

"Hey, somethin' the matter, Arie?" he asked as he walked closer to her, moving his hand towards her. He had never met anyone before who could change their personality so dramatically so fast.

"Gareas... Do you know which place on this transporter is the most deserted right now?" she asked him quite abruptly as she looked up at him.

"I.. uh..." he stammered again as he tried to regain his balance which he nearly lost from reaching out to the girl. "Yeah, sure... I'm pretty sure that the hanger is cleared out, seeing as this ship is being occupied by civilians right now." he said, pointing to the other end of the hallway then pointing

downward.

"Ah-! Thank you!" she said hastily as she dashed to the other end of the hallway but was halted from the firm grip of Gareas.

"Hold on there, I'm not letting you go anywhere around here alone just yet. Especially after that whole drama!" he said to her sternly as he looked at her with concern. At first Arie was a bit pestered by the boy's persistence but finally agreed to his help with a simple nod as they both made their way to the docking bay.

Rusai was still in the room moping about what had happened earlier and griped in slight pain as the wings and claws retracted back inside his body. He was filled with exhaustion from both the battle and from using his EX to it's fullest extent. He was about to get himself out of the room, but as he stood up he was hit with a wave of fatigue and ended up back on the floor.

"Damn..." He muttered, wanting to get out before anyone decided to come in. All of a sudden, the pendant that had been fused to his hand all this time came loose and fell with a slight clang to the ground. Rusai tried to stay awake, but he passed out due to the physical strain that had been forced onto his body earlier, hoping that no one would stumble upon his chosen hiding spot.

"Why are we in such a rush?" Gareas shouted to Arie who was dashing hastily behind him.

"There's something I need to check out." she shouted back to him, though the truth was she herself didn't exactly know what she was looking for. She nearly ran into Gareas as he stopped suddenly in front of her. "Huh..?" she questioned, a bit dazed from the near collision.

"We're here." he said as he punched in a code and opened up the door. It was sort of haunting how empty the bay was, everything was cleared out besides a few random parts and pieces of equipment. Arie and Gareas made there way down the stairs as Arie wandered away from Gareas and scoured the area. "Hey, don't mess with anything!" he yelled to her. "I don't need to get in trouble with the staff here anymore than I already have..." he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" she shouted back to him curiously.

"Uh-... Nothing, nothing at all!" he answered swiftly. 'Smooth one, Garu... Real smooth...' he thought to himself as he scratched the back of his head in dismay. Something caught his eye as he saw something glisten in the corner of his eye. Curious as to what it was he made his way towards the light.

Rusai was abruptly woken up by noises coming from outside.

"Oh great...just what I need..." Rusai muttered, trying to keep his voice and his frustration to a minimal level. "Everything's going so wrong! And in just one day too!" Rusai grumbled, very unhappy about the turn of events. He had made up his mind and told himself that he was gonna run for it. Gathering whatever nerve he had left in him, he burst through the door and was about to make it into the hallway that was conjoined with the docking bay when he happened to trip on a piece of equipment lying there on the ground and ended up getting a face-full of ground. He growled, picking himself up off the ground. Embarrassed to his maximum limit, Rusai continued to on his way, but it seemed that he was going to go nowhere as he collided with a green haired candidate sending them both tumbling to the ground. Luck, as it seemed, was not with Rusai...

"What in the- Ah!" yelled Gareas as from out of nowhere he was knocked down by someone. "Dammit, what's wrong with you? Watch where you're going you asshole!" he shouted in his face as he picked him up by his shirt collar. "Huh..?" he muttered as he looked into his eyes and saw them to be two different shades. "What the-...?"

"Gareas!" yelled Arie from all the way from the other side as she heard, what she assumed, to be a faint call. She was some distance away so she couldn't make out where exactly he was, she was just following his voice.

"Damn..." Gareas said as he looked towards her. 'How in the hell did she get over there so fast..?' he thought as sweat dropped down the side of his face.

Rusai, who had been through enough trauma already, had just about had enough. He tried to get free, but found himself too weak to do anything about it since he was still in a fatigued state. 'Crud, if I'm lucky, I may end up getting out of this with a black eye...' Rusai thought. He was just not in the mood for these kinds of things, but just reluctantly hung his head, expecting the worse of the worse...

"Gareas! Gareas what are doing?" she shouted as she walked her way over to him and noticed that he was with someone else.

"Just... Taking care of something..." he hollered back to her, as he tightened his grip on the other person. He gave a slight glare to him but then stopped as he noticed the guy had begun to hang his head. Gareas sighed as he stared blankly at him.

"Gareas, who's that with you?" Arie shouted as she began to accelerate her pace somewhat. Curious as to what Gareas had gotten himself into now.

"Huh..? You say something, Arie?" he said, dazed, as his attention was given everywhere else but to her speech.

Rusai looked up when he heard the Arie's name mentioned, although he still kept the gloomy expression on his face. 'I've leaped out of the frying pan and landed right in the boiling pot...' Rusai thought, trying to contemplate about the jam he had gotten himself into and weather he would make it out of that situation in one piece.

"Oh boy...I've got a lot of explaining to do..." Rusai muttered under his breath as he saw Arie getting closer.

Arie rushed over to Gareas side, as she grabbed onto his back and used him as somewhat of a support. Her breathing was completely unsteady, and she was out of breath way too quickly.

"Gar-... Gareas... Can you lend me a-... hand..?" she barely made out as she began to fall.

"Ah-! Arie!" he shouted as he let go of the other person and threw him aside, somewhat, as Gareas dove down to help her up. "Damn, Arie... You've really got to stop scaring me like this..." he sighed to her.

"I'm sorry... I've been... a burden..." she whispered to him, as her eyes sparkled with her fatigue. Her hair pin slowly slid down her hair and fell. Gareas caught it in his hand as he let her lay on his lap.

"You're no burden to anyone. I promise you that much, Arie." he told her as he moved her hair to the side and placed the pin back. All the while Arie never did not truly noticed that Rusai was there all along, watching the incident as she slowly went to rest once more. This time, next to another...

Rusai was speechless, not to say appalled, but morally shocked. He couldn't believe what was happening, and right before his eyes too. He felt like nothing once more after rising from his current position on the ground and left the pendant where Arie could clearly see it and walked off. He wanted to feel no remorse for these types of things like he had done so many times, but this time, that emptiness was replaced with a different feeling. Rusai couldn't quite explain what the feeling was, but it was a hurt that was eating him from the inside. He walked down corridors and hallways, not caring about anything or anyone. He managed to wander to an empty room in which no one was occupying so Rusai wandered in and sat down. He didn't want to feel this way, he wanted to feel nothing again, but he knew he couldn't go back. He didn't know how to stop the pain he felt, so he did the only thing he could at the moment...he sat there, sobbing once again, with no one to hear his lonely cries...


	10. Confrontation

**Curriculum 09: Confrontation**

Unbeknownst to the saddened Rusai, Gareas had taken the time to swiftly follow him just as he decided to leave. Though, Gareas was competitive, he could always sense when something was wrong. That look he had been given from the guy had been on his mind ever since Arie had laid on his lap and fell asleep. Before he had left the hanger he had placed Arie over her backside and found the source of the glistening light which started it all.

Now, Gareas wait outside in the hallway near the room in which Rusai had disappeared and waited for someone to make a move. He hadn't wanted to leave Arie alone, but at the same time wanted to figure out the story behind this new candidate. Leaning on a wall next to Arie he stretched out for a while then opened his hand and gazed at the pendant.

"Hmph, wonder whose this is..." he said to himself as it sparkled in his eyes. "It might be hers, but then why-..." Gareas tried to figure out the answers to all of his questions but ended up getting a headache in the process. "Damn... I hate this sort of thing..." he sighed to himself as he clutched the pendant tightly and stared up at the ceiling, as the time ticked by.

Rusai had stopped crying, for he had no more tears to shed. He was just busy trying to control his feelings, but the more he thought about it, the more things seemed to get out of hand. Knowing that whenever he gets too stressed, his EX always activates. Not wanting to cause such a scenario, Rusai tried to get his mind off Arie, but this just made things worse, for now he couldn't think about anything without his mind wandering back to Arie which showed him just how much he had become attached to Arie in that small amount of time.

He tried and tried, but his efforts were in vain for he still thought about Arie and each time he did it became harder and harder to think about something else yet again. The way that other candidate was treating her...he knew he could never be that kind of person for Arie. It was as if he was broken, and that the fragment of his heart couldn't be put back together again. 'It's hopeless, I'm a wreck...' Rusai thought while curling up into a ball on the floor. He had never felt this bad before, only when his mother used to torture him, but that was so long ago. Suddenly, a sharp pain gripped his back. 'Oh no, it's happening again!' Rusai thought. Trying desperately to make the reaction stop, Rusai accidentally stumbled into the hall during his transformation...

"Huh, what the-..!" gasped Gareas as he saw the door suddenly open and out fell what appeared to be the candidate he had run into, only he was different... 'Whoa, this feeling... There's something strange about this guy...' he thought as he moved a little closer to him.

"Hey, man... Are you, alright?" he asked quite oblivious as to what was occurring. Arie lay behind Gareas hunched against the wall. All the while she slept as this chain of events was occurring around her. The question is, would she be able to notice in time?

Rusai was trying as hard as he could to make it stop, but he took notice that it was too late as his hands began to painfully morph into claws.

"Please! Get out of here! Hurry, before it's too late!" he pleaded desperately, knowing full well of what his EX could do to someone. Sure, he didn't like the guy that much, but it wasn't worth seeing him ripped to pieces on his own behalf. With the pain of his transformation overtaking him, Rusai could barely stand up as his wings extended to their full length. He had no clue, though, that Arie was sleeping in the hallway this whole time. With his EX reaction completed, he then turned to face Garaes; his eyes taking on the same yellow hue as before. With his rage taking over, Rusai made a lunge for Garaes, with only one thought in his one track mind: exterminate...

'EX!' Gareas thought as he was thrown to the floor trying to block his new foe's assault. 'Dammit, how am I suppose to run when I'm subdued like this!' Gareas thought as he looked in terror at the new form of the candidate. Without thinking about the well being of himself he turned to look at Arie who was now close by his face.

"Arie!" he yelled frantically trying to reach her. "Run away Arie! Get out of her now, please!" he called to her. He did not notice but the pendant was still somehow clutched firmly in his hand. It began to glow radiantly, but still not bright enough for the two to notice. "Arie!" he yelled once more to her, tears now streaming down his face. 'No! I won't let my power take hold... It's enough to see this guy out of control, I can't let myself be taken as well...' he thought as he freely accepted his fate. Yet, he would not allow the fate of Arie be sealed this way as well. As he gripped onto the pendant firmly, the light beginning to shine brighter...

Rusai was outraged, his mind had been reduced to that of a primitive beast. He took a swipe at Garaes with his claw in an attempt to keep him away from Arie. He had noticed the slight glow coming from Garaes' hand and immediately knew what was happening. He growled at Garaes and glared at him before dragging him closer to the sharp claws that were just waiting to tear him to pieces. He was trying to pry the pendant away from Garaes' hand before it was too late. But with the light shining brighter every second, it was only a matter of time before the unthinkable happened...

Arie awoke to the horrible seen of her two saviors locked in fierce combat. Tears rolled down her face as she saw what had become of Rusai, and his true EX.

"Stop..." she whispered softly to them both as her body shifted towards them. "Stop it, please..." she said once more, louder yet still soft. The light from the pendant fused with Gareas as he was engulfed in the light and gained his wings, as a new light to his powers.

"You heard her..." he said quite confidently. "Stop!" Gareas then pinned Rusai to the wall and spread his wings for the first time.

"Argh!" Rusai gasped as he was roughly pinned to the wall. He struggled for a while against the other candidate's firm grip, but was a bit hesitant after hearing Arie's soft voice being spoken out with such sadness and despair. He could not bear to see Arie like this, sorrowed by what he had become. He gave a loud and long howl before dropping to the floor. He was clutching his head with his eyes squeezed shut for everything was throbbing in constant pain as he was trying to fight the beast within himself. Finally, after a moment of moans and groans, Rusai opened his eyes to find that they had returned to their natural hues of cobalt and emerald. Although, knowing that Arie now knew of his true EX made him more miserable than ever. He tried to hold back, but tears of shame rolled down his face. He was not even bothering to hide it anymore, it just hurt too much...

After Gareas' struggle with holding Rusai back his wings parted as he sank to the floor.

"Damn..." he said sorely as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Arie crawled over to them as she attempted to help them both. Though Gareas reluctantly shook his head to her offer as he knew who needed it more.

"Rusai..." she said softly in happiness as she moved over to his side. "Please don't be ashamed, I'm here now..." she spoke, trying to comfort him in the only way she knew. With his love for her. Though, she could not say she loved him back in the same way... She slowly moved her hands toward him as she tried to see his face. The face that she knew to be the true Rusai.

Rusai was still keeping his head down, but when Arie moved next to him and slightly touched him with her gentle hands he slowly looked up to face Arie at eye level.

"Arie, whatever you want to do, it's your choice, not mine. The only thing I want to see is your happiness. As long as your happy, then I guess, I'm happy too..." Rusai stated, his voice no more than a whisper. He then looked up at Garaes. "I'm really sorry about what I did...I guess you probably think I'm some kind of monster now, don't you?" Rusai questioned, with guilt still lining his eyes.

Gareas looked at Rusai sternly, then gave a bit of a chuckle as he burst into laughter.

"Man, are you kidding me? That was the most fun I've had ever since I've been on this dumpy transporter! I've got no hard feelings towards anyone who can back up a good fight!" He gave a wide grin towards Rusai as he folded his arms behind his head and leaned against the wall in satisfaction.

Arie could not help but laugh as she saw Gareas's smile. She let her laughter take over her current feelings. No longer would she let them cloud her happiness.

"Rusai, please. Stop your worrying of everyone else around you and learn to worry about yourself. It's okay to cry when you want to cry and be angry when you're mad." she said as she stood up beside him. "But you always have to remember that after the tears and the anger, it's okay to laugh." she finished, smiling.

"Yeah, and it's okay to care for other's too. You just have to remember that as much as you worry about them, they worry about you too." Gareas added as he joined Arie's side and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. He held out his hand towards Rusai. "So, what do you say?"

Rusai gazed at the hand offered to him and took it with a warm smile on his face, something he hadn't done in years...

"Thanks, both of you. This really means a lot to me!" Rusai said, cheerier than ever. "Now how about we get out of here, this place is starting to get on my nerves for some reason..." He got up off the floor, although he failed to notice that his EX hadn't worn off yet...

Arie broke away from the two now raving mad-happy friends. It was a different sight but a good one. 'So, another angel has shown you the light... I'm glad, Rusai...' she thought as she gaze at them from afar. Things were only beginning though, for soon they would all be rivals in the race to become pilot. Who knew, they might all be separated in the end, never to see another again. It was a chance it seemed that they were all willing to take. As Rusai had overcome his EX and his emotions, and had made good friends in the process.


	11. Treacherous Love

**Curriculum 10: Treacherous Love **

They had not noticed, but the ship was out of lock down now and the alarms had stopped ringing. It then occurred to her that it meant all of the officers were free to roam around again, but the candidates were to remain on their designated areas.

"Uh, Ga-... Gareas..? I don't suppose you could... Well, uh..." she began to blush in embarrassment, for she had never found herself in a situation quite like this before. Gareas raised a brow at her odd question.

"What is it Arie? Oh, and you can call me Garu." he said cheerfully to her.

"Well I kind of... Don't remember my way back..." her face had become completely flushed by that time and in the process her legs had crossed over and she was twiddling with her hands. She was a complete mess!

"Uh... Well, since you put it that way, yeah. Hey Rusai, you want to come along, man?" Gareas asked him as he walked over to Arie and tried to help her embarrassment.

"Sure!" Rusai replied, wincing slightly as his wings and claws retracted back into his body. "I'm sure things are gonna be more peaceful now, at the very least..." Rusai remarked, having enough of the chaos that had been stuffed into one day. Ever since the emergency state had ended on the ship, Rusai had been relieved, but one question was still bugging him at the back of his mind... "Hey, guys, how are we gonna explain what happened to the Giseisha?" Rusai blurted out, knowing that the whole ship was gonna wonder on how they had made it through without the Goddesses being there to help.

A shiver ran down Arie's spine as she heard Rusai mention the Giseisha. She then began to panic, for Gareas had not seen what Rusai had done to the Giseisha, nor had he known about Rusai being outside the ship in the first place. Gareas, on the other hand, was quite curious as to what Rusai actually meant. He raised a brow at him and uttered the words in which Arie was not too happy to hear.

"What's there to explain, exactly..?" he said as he walked up to Rusai, getting right in his path. He was determined to get an answer out of him, or Arie. Arie panicked for a few moments, then hastily did the first thing that came to her mind.

"Um, uh Gareas, could you come over here for a second..?" she said quite shaken, for what she was about to do would not be something that could be taken lightly. She began to motion to him as a smile crept onto her face.

"Yeah, sure..." he said as she turned his head to speak out to her. "I'll be back for that answer..." he whispered to Rusai as he made his way over to Arie. When he was about three feet away from her he stopped. "So, what is it?" he said a bit obnoxiously.

"Garu... There's something of mine that you have..." she said to him as she stepped closer with each word.

"What exactly do you mean..?" he asked as he tripped over his leg and was now backed into a corner, raising his head a little higher as Arie approached further.

"You have my stolen my heart Garu... and I would very much like it back." she said to him as she placed her hand on his chest and moved her head close to his. Gareas was completely flustered and confused. Just a few seconds ago she was affectionately supporting Rusai and now, this! He just couldn't comprehend it all at once and so he gave in and moved closer to Arie, as he placed his hand around her.

"Your heart...? But I... I-..." as Gareas attempted to explain what had happened, Arie moved in closer. Closer, to the point that their lips soon touched. Gareas eyes widened, as he did not expect such a thing from her. As Arie slowly stepped back after a few moments he felt a slight pain and squinted as he grabbed his arm. He then fell back against the wall and slid down to the floor as he lost consciousness.

"You stole my heart, Garu. But that doesn't mean I can't steal it back..." she whispered to him as she opened the palm of her hand that used to be situated on his chest to reveal the sapphire pendant.

Rusai was quite lost...That is until he saw what Arie had retrieved.

'Arie! What did you do to him?" Rusai exclaimed, both shocked and amused by Arie's earlier actions. He stared at Garaes' limp form and shivered at the thought of what would happen to him if he ever dared anger Arie. "Well, that takes care of Garaes, but what are we gonna tell the rest of the ship?" Rusai asked, not wanting anyone else to find out about his little excursion out side of the ship. "Anyways, what if someone comes down this hall?" Rusai questioned once more, not wanting to imagine the scenario that would occur if someone were to intrude in on their little situation. At that moment, the door opened and a new candidate walked in.

"What's going on here?" he demanded in a cold tone, his red eyes taking in the scene.

Arie sighed, her creativity for tight situations was immense but there was only so much she could take in a single instance. She strung the pendant back onto the chain that she took out of her pocket and tied it back around her neck as she flipped her hair out of her face. 'What to do with this one..?' she thought to herself as she looked at him closely. Just then a thought popped into her mind, as she walked up to Rusai and began to whisper in his ear so no other could hear her.

"The Giseisha fled, that's all the crew knows, or needs to know. And as for Gareas, I'll take care of him, but I need you to take care of this guy for me." and with that she walked forward and bowed slightly to the candidate as she looked at him in the eyes. "Nothing, nothing at all. We just bumped into each other is all, I'm going to go take that guy up to the nursery. Good day to you." and with that she casually walked back to Gareas and helped him up as he regained slight consciousness.

"Wha-... What happened.." he moaned as he rubbed his forehead.

"Nothing, Garu. We just happened to be walking by and bumped into these people. Now we're going to go see a nurse to get that arm of yours checked!" she said cheerfully, acting as if nothing had happened. Arie made her way towards the door, supporting Gareas who limply followed by her side. "Bye." she said waving back to the two as she left the room.

'Great...' Rusai thought. He gave a small sigh and put his sociopathic demeanor back on.

"You heard her, she just bumped into the guy, that's plainly it." Rusai muttered, not bothering to even look at the candidate. The silver haired candidate gave him a hard stare.

"So where were you in all this?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Just caught up in the attack I guess." Rusai muttered once more, trying to get rid of the candidate.

"Hmph, the name's Hiead...and don't forget that I'll be keeping an eye on you..." he stated and started towards the door.

"I go by Rusai, nothing else." Rusai gruffly responded, not liking the fact that he had just earned himself a new stalker. Hiead just strode out the door leaving Rusai alone in the hall. 'Hm, now he's an interesting one...' Hiead thought while walking down the hall.

Meanwhile, Rusai was still in the hallway trying to figure out just what kind of trouble he had decided to get himself into now. After a couple moments of thinking, Rusai, just couldn't figure it out, so he decided to find Arie, where ever she was...


	12. Assumptions

**Curriculum 11: Assumptions **

As Arie made her way into the hall, supporting Gareas, her legs began to give way. She began to fall back as Gareas panicked and held his arms out as he fell to the floor catching her.

"Ow..." she whined as she rubbed her leg which now throbbed.

"Yeah, don't worry about me..." he said sarcastically from behind her as he rubbed his back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Gar-.. Ah!" just as she was turning around to apologize to Gareas she landed on top of him and pinned him to the floor. Just as she had gotten back up on her knees to try and attempt to get off of Gareas, the door behind them opened.

Rusai walked in through the door and was graced with yet, another unexpected scene.

"Gah!" Rusai sputtered, his face blushing after noticing that they were on top of each other. Rusai was standing there with a blank stare on his face, totally losing the sociopathic demeanor he had set earlier. "What are you two doing! And in the middle of the hall too!" Rusai managed to choke out, nearly giving himself a heart attack. He had no clue of what had happened earlier, so he just assumed the worst...

"Hey, whoa man! I don't know what the heck just crossed your mind but all she did was trip!" Gareas shouted, protesting to Rusai's unexpected accusations. Just as Gareas shot up to confront Rusai, Arie crashed to the floor as the wind was knocked from under her.

"Ow..." she whined once more as she rolled over onto her back and attempted to see straight once more.

"Oh..." Rusai murmured, finally realizing that his twisted nightmare was nothing but a figment of his imagination. "Sorry, I just uhh...well, I was going to...um..." Rusai sputtered, trying to keep his head on straight about accidentally implying something so utterly absurd. He then noticed that Arie had taken quite the tumble onto the floor. "Need a hand getting up Arie?" Rusai asked, abruptly switching the topic.

"No, no... Just let me stay here... On the floor... As my image is and has been completely washed up... and slapped back in my face like the force of a tsunami..." she said solemnly as she stared blankly up at the roof. Gareas just glared at Rusai, he was not too likely to let what he had accused him of early slide. Arie continue staring up at the ceiling as she finally made an attempt at doing something other than staring into her own space. "Gareas, could you go and grab my stuff from my room?" she said as she tossed him the activation key. "I'll probably be bunking with one of you tonight due to all of the stuff that's been going on lately, and I don't quite feel like explaining why I was not in my quarters yet somehow my belongings were..."

"Yeah, yeah... Sure thing." he said with apathy as he caught the key and walked his way to her room. He had no real objections due to the fact that he really didn't want to stay in that position for much longer, as his nerves were getting the better of him. As he left Arie sat up and slid her way to the wall as she leaned against it taking a deep breath. From afar she thought that she could hear the sound of footsteps but ignored the thought and continued her waiting.


	13. White Fury

**Curriculum 12: White Fury**

Rusai was leaning on the opposite wall in his infamous pose as he was thinking on how to redeem himself from his little accusation. He was too busy thinking in fact that he didn't hear the door open behind him. In walked the person who Rusai did not want to see the most at the specific moment in time.

"Well, look who it is..." Hiead sneered, causing Rusai to glance up, then groan in frustration.

"What on earth do you think you're doin' here!" Rusai demanded, switching his sociopathic demeanor for his aggressive one.

"Well, seeing as how my quarters is across from the hall, I have a perfectly good reason for being here, however, I am curious as to why you are here..." Hiead stated, with a hint of mockery in his voice. This began to highly agitate Rusai.

"You're just beginning to bug me..." Rusai grumbled, very unhappy about their uninvited guest.

"What are you going to do about it?" Hiead snidely replied.

"That's it! You're going down!" Rusai growled, letting his rage get the better of him once more. With that, Rusai aimed a punch in Hiead's direction, but Hiead easily dodged the attack and countered with a kick to the back, sending Rusai sprawling onto the floor. Rusai, who wasn't about to give up, tackled Hiead to the floor and was about to pummel his face in, but the nimble candidate had gotten to Rusai's pressure point before Rusai could even get in one punch.

Within moments Rusai was out cold with Hiead having quite the look of satisfaction on his face. He pushed the other candidate's limp body off him and was about to leave until he happened to notice the girl who had been sitting in the corner all this time... Arie sighed once more.

"Can't say he didn't have it coming..." she said under breath as she stared at the limp body on the floor. She would go up to help him at any other time but she was tired of this constant chain of awkward events that she had given up on it. Letting fate take over what happened to the others. Of course she was worried, but she knew that all Rusai had been doing was blowing off some of his earlier anger and knew that he could take a small beating such as that.

"So, it seems we meet again under seemingly the same circumstances..." she said as she glanced at the candidate. "I never quite got your name, tough guy..."

"My name's Hiead Gner." Hiead sternly replied. "And what's your name?" He stood there looking at her, as if trying to comprehend something he didn't fully understand. "Anyways, you might want to get your friend off the ground before anyone steps on him, he's an interesting one..." Hiead stated, but the tone of his voice seemed to say that he was lost in thought about many things.

"He'll wake up when he's good and ready to, I can tell you that much. He may have a hot head over his shoulders right now, but when he cools off is when I'll act." she said as she looked back into Hiead's eyes, sensing that he was after some sort of answer. "My name is Arie, Arie Suin Kalctev. I must apologize for intruding on your way to your quarters, and the bland actions of my friend, Rusai." she said as she took a quick glance towards him. "Funny, it seems you have the same mutual feelings for each other." she said to him as she stood up on her feet and stretched for a few moments as she awaited a reaction.

"Argh, that damned Rusai! Thinking of us like-... Damn!" complained Gareas as he made his way through the corridors slouched angrily with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He sighed. "But I still can't help but have... Enjoyed it..." he said to himself softly as he stopped to looked out a window. 'Did she really... Mean those words...?' he thought to himself as he took the time to lean onto the ledge and stare up at the stars passionately.

"Oh, and why do you say that?" Hiead questioned, he had become quite fascinated with these people, they weren't like the rest of the stereotypical crowd that they were so often surrounded by. First Rusai, now Arie, Hiead just couldn't figure it out, why were they so different? This just made him even more interested in finding out more about these new people. Hiead had decided that he was going to stick around for a while. He locked his gaze with Arie's; his eyes showing off an icy hue, all the while, Hiead was expecting the answer to his earlier question.

"Oh, I don't say it... I can sense it somewhat between you two. It could just be a feeling, though... Nonetheless, you yourself seem to find an interest in something. Tell me, Hiead, just what is it you're looking for?" she questioned as her gaze on him intensified. She could sense that her eyes were near ready to shift colors but she kept her cool as she consoled Hiead. It wasn't time yet for her to reveal such a thing to him, not just yet anyways... 'He has such an odd sensation to his presence. What could it possibly mean...?' she thought as she stared into his cold gaze.

"You could say that I'm searching for a special 'talent' within people..." Hiead said in a monotone voice. "And I'm about willing to bet that both you and Rusai aren't in the norm, now are you?" Hiead interrogated, still keeping his piercing gaze locked on Arie. Hiead was in no hurry to go anywhere, he stood, rooted in the same spot, patiently waiting for Arie's reaction to his bizarre statement.

"Heh, I see you've done your homework quite well. I suppose that face on the other side of hallway wasn't just looking for some lost forms... Or that person who just happened to pass into the hall as Rusai fainted and was helped into a secret room was pure imagination." A slight smirk formed on her face as she gave a sly gaze of understanding to counter Hiead's cold stare. Her assumptions were more than just that, she had felt a presence of another all the while but never knew they had paid them so much mind. "I'd suppose you won't leave us until you get a straight out answer, now will you, Hiead?"

"Heh, now you're getting it..." Hiead remarked, letting down a bit on his cold exterior. "I've got all the time in the world, well, at least until we get to G.O.A..." Hiead added, willing to listen to the whole explanation, he wasn't about to settle for some incomplete, chopped up story. Hiead moved over to the side of the wall and sat down, focusing all of his attention on Arie and waiting for her to begin.

"Well, if you're looking for an explanation, your asking the wrong candidate. But if you're looking for proof..." she stopped then walked over to Rusai. She knelt down to his side and looked back up at Hiead. "I'm going to have to ask for a more secure location..." she said as she stood back up, and awaited his answer. Arie did not want to blow Hiead's request, for she could sense his power, and his will. Each containing immense strength and endurance all the same. All she could do now was share to him the pains of living with the deadly conditions that were passed down from EX fusion experiments.

Hiead had become quite interested in the situation to come, so he decided to cooperate.

"You can use my quarters, no one ever goes in there." Hiead offered, wanting to know more about the mysterious people. He bent down and tried to rouse the unconscious candidate. Rusai awoke feeling even more exhausted than ever. "Follow me." Hiead stated as he led them a little further away and came to a stop in front of a room. Hiead slid in the card key and the door slid open. "Well, I'm ready for this little spectacle..." Hiead remarked, while locking the door to prevent any unwelcome guests from trying to creep in. He then turned to face Arie again, and waited for the reaction to start.


	14. Condition

**Curriculum 13: Condition**

At first, she was reluctant to abide by his wishes. She was not comfortable with so many people learning about it so quickly, even if only one person truly knew it existed. She gave a heavy sigh and placed her hand over the pendant. Concentrating, the light of the pendant began to grow. The blue streams of energy emerged from the light, along with the addition of two new lights, one of black and one of green. The green and black merged together and were both engulfed by the blue light, turning pure white. As the light made it's way back into the pendant it Arie no longer had a single set of wings, but three.

"'Seraph', the third level of my 'condition'. The ability to lend the strength of my EX to others and gain their power in return..." she said softly as her strength began to waiver. Hiead stared with a look of pure awe and satisfaction. He had seen what he had wanted to and found it to be more amazing than he could have ever comprehended. Rusai, who was now more dumbfounded than ever, couldn't tear his eyes away from the magnificent sight.

"Arie, you have truly been gifted with amazing powers, but with great power, comes a price doesn't it?" Hiead questioned, looking into her eyes once more, as if he was looking for the pure truth beyond what others could not see. She saw the piercing gaze Hiead had given her. All at once her lights ceased as her wings disappeared into the air and her eyes shifted.

"Yes." she said solemnly to him. "I am sure you are quite aware of the various EX abilities yourself. But my EX is created from an experimental process, that of which had gone horribly wrong. For the EX I control is that of a Berserker class. If I were to have a reaction due to pure emotion and without the presence of my two charms then it would most likely be... a true disaster..." she turned her head away in shame from the two, not wishing to keep contact. "This 'condition' of mine is why... I am never to become a pilot. And if the academy knew, then I would never be a repairer. I would be sentenced back into those labs in which this started..." her eyes turned grey as they clouded her current feelings from the two. She had lied to Rusai before, something which she never wished to put him through.

"Arie...you didn't have to hide these things from me." Rusai stated, still a little bit hurt that Arie had lied to him. "I don't think differently of you, you're still Arie on the inside and that's all that counts..." Rusai added, his eyes filled with reassurance.

"Don't worry about me, your secret will be kept safe with me." Hiead stated. "If you ever do need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask." Rusai shifted slightly closer to Arie.

"Arie, don't be ashamed. You showed me that my EX was nothing to be ashamed of. I know how hard it must be so...different, but I know that you can make it through this." Rusai continued, still keeping his eyes trained on Arie.

"Thank you..." she said softly to them both. Arie knew she had the trust of all of them, but she truly never wished to get involved with anyone, for if she was taken it would affect her and all of those around her. "I... I'm grateful-..!" she whispered as her legs gave way. She fell to the floor in exhaustion and winced in pain as she began to cough violently. Another side effect when she used her powers too much too soon.

"Arie! Arie!" Rusai shouted.

"We need to get help, but from who?" Hiead pondered, trying to find out who would be fit for this situation. A sudden thought came to Rusai.

"Hiead, I'll be right back, just stay with her okay?" Rusai asked. Hiead nodded in agreement and unlocked the door. Rusai burst out the room and was running full speed towards the end of the hall.

"Garaes! Hurry! It's Arie! Something's wrong with her!" Rusai yelled, hoping that the green haired candidate could hear what he was yelling.


	15. Hold On

**Curriculum 14: Hold On**

"Gareas! Hurry! It's Arie! Something's wrong with her!" came a loud voice from down the hallway.

"What in the-... Rusai!" he said in confusion as he spotted his friend dashing towards him. 'Arie..?' he thought as his eyes widened and he ran towards Rusai. He ran into and grabbed onto him by the shirt collar. "What is it! What's happened, Rusai? Where's Arie!" he demanded, having a one track mind set on Arie. Sweat dropped down his forehead as he shook Rusai violently for an answer.

As Arie kept her position on the floor her condition only got worse. This time she collapsed completely onto the ground, her breathing slowed to a gasp. 'No...' she thought as her consciousness was slowly slipping. Her eyes were shifting between black and grey. The trick to her sight and foresight was the fact that they showed and represented her current physical and emotional status.

"It...wasn't...my fault..." Rusai gasped, managing to barely speak through all the shaking. "You have...to...hurry!" Rusai was hoping that Garaes would put him down before Arie got any worse...

"Arie, you have to stay awake!" Hiead exclaimed. He took Arie and gently put her onto the bed. "Just hold on, I'm sure Rusai will be back any moment..." Hiead stated, trying to reassure Arie and himself at the same time.

Gareas eyes widened as he ceased his assault on Rusai. He gently let him go and dropped his head in disgrace as he let his thoughts override his feelings.

"I'm sorry, Rusai..." he said as he turned away from him. "Please, what is going on..?" he asked as he turned to face him.

Arie heard Hiead's voice call out to her. She knew she had to hold on a little longer. After all she could use a miracle, for her luck lately had been twisted. She opened her eyes a little wider as she struggled to ease her breathing patterns. Her gasping continued as her attempt fail.

"H-...hel... p..." she whispered in between her gasps as her vision blurred and she could no longer see what was in the room.

Rusai had made a quick and brief explanation of what had happened back in Hiead's room.

"So you see, something's wrong with her! We have to hurry!" Rusai pleaded, gesturing towards the room where Arie lay.

Hiead was beginning to get very concerned. 'Where the hell are you Rusai?' he thought, while trying to help Arie retain her hold on life. Hiead was almost tempted to run out there for himself to see if that could bring much faster help, but that would mean he would have to leave Arie and in her condition that could yield fatal results. Hiead decided against it and watched as the clock ticked time away. With everything riding on these last few moments, and time as their unforgiving enemy, everything was riding on this one last chance...

Gareas nodded as he made his way back to the room along with Rusai. 'Damn...' he thought to himself. 'Why did I have to act out like that, what if Arie...? ...No! I can't think that way. Right now all that matters is that we get there!' he thought as he made his way to the room and was relieved to see the door. He burst through the door, breathing heavily from his swift dash.

"Arie!" he yelled rushing to her side. "Arie, I'm here..." he said again, softly.

Arie struggled but opened her eyes and focused her vision enough to see who laid by her side.

"Ga...ru... y...ou...c..ame... back..." she stammered between her gasping. Her condition was still bad but it had calmed somewhat.

"Of course..." he said to her. "I'm so sorry I left your side, Arie..." with that he gently took hold of her hand and squeezed it tenderly. "Hold on..."

"I-... I'm... sorr-... ah..." with her last attempt at an apology she slowly slipped into a coma. Her breathing began to settle some, but a fever began to appear as her cheeks turned red. Gareas simply sat by her side, not knowing what to do now.

"We have to get her to the sick bay immediately!" Hiead stated. "We can't just leave her like this, she could die!" Rusai nodded in agreement and was starting to help out Hiead.

"Come on Garaes, Arie needs you! Don't tell me you're gonna sit here while she suffers like this! We need your help!" Rusai exclaimed, trying to get Garaes to cooperate. "Listen, I'm worried about her too, but if we don't get to sick bay soon, then we won't have anyone to worry about! We can't lose her!"

Gareas shook his head in disagreement.

"It's not something that can be helped that easily, Rusai... I know my symptoms and sicknesses and the signs she's showing are completely curable. She needs rest and support right now, that's all..." he said to them both quite sternly. Gareas was never one for seriousness but when it came down to it, if Gareas was serious there was no doubt about what he spoke of.

"Huh..?" Gareas questioned as he felt a squeeze on his hand. He turned around to find that Arie had opened her eyes slightly as she turned to face them. A weak smile crept over her face as her eyes sparkled in their normal colors once more.

"This... is..." she began to state softly through her tired lips. "My curse..."

Hiead returned to his normal state, showing almost no sign of emotion whatsoever, while Rusai breathed out a sigh of relief.

"As long as I know that she's gonna be alright..." Rusai muttered, thankful that the worst hadn't happened, although the only thing on his mind at the moment were Arie's words 'This...is...my curse...' Rusai kept on wondering about it, but then decided on asking Arie herself whenever she got better. Right now, after facing so many events in one day, Rusai fell asleep on Hiead's bed, exhausted and relieved at the same time...


End file.
